Martin Truex Jr. now sits atop the playoff standings as the NASCAR Cup Series heads to the “Tricky Triangle” at Pocono.
Last week the NASCAR Cup Series experienced yet another weather delay as the Crayon 301 was pushed to Monday due to rain. It was the third race this season that was run on a Monday, and a previous Monday winner took the victory again.
Martin Truex Jr. grabbed the win at his home track in New Hampshire, the first time he’s done so in Loudon. The win was his third of the season and vaulted him to the top of the Cup Series standings, overtaking William Byron who has had a strong grip on the top spot with his four wins this year.
Now a much different challenge awaits Truex Jr. and the rest of the drivers this weekend. Pocono is a tough track to get right for both drivers and teams. The variable banking challenges drivers to be consistent, and teams to find a consistent setup.
Let’s see if a playoff contender can grab another win, or if a playoff hopeful can surprise us this weekend.
It's not over until it's over. @Alex_Bowman | @PoconoRaceway pic.twitter.com/PrntIjFPJP
— NASCAR (@NASCAR) July 20, 2023
The Track
Pocono Raceway is a 2.5-mile (4.02 km) superspeedway located in Long Pond, Pennsylvania that first hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race in 1971. Dubbed “The Tricky Triangle” due to its shape, the track’s three turns and three straightaway provide a unique challenge for the Cup Series drivers.
A big reason for that is that each turn has a different banking. Turn 1 is banked at 14 degrees, Turn 2 at eight degrees, while Turn 3 is banked at just six degrees. Consistency becomes even tougher to achieve for the drivers with such changes.
Jeff Gordon and Denny Hamlin are tied for the most wins all-time at the track with six, making this a potentially historic weekend for Hamlin. The race lap record is held by Kyle Busch, who set a time of 0:51.298 in 2017.
On Sunday Stage 1 will be the first 30 laps of the race while Stage 2 will be the next 65 laps. Stage 3 will consist of the final 65 laps of the race.
For the first time in what feels like an eternity, the weather may not affect this weekend’s running. Rain is in the forecast for Pocono but isn’t expected to arrive until Monday, meaning we may get a full dry race in on Sunday afternoon.
Points Standings
Truex Jr. now sits in the lead of the standings ahead of NASCAR’s trip to Pocono. Further down, things are tight on the bubble. Bubba Wallace has 433 points while Michael McDowell is just one point behind in 16th.
Daniel Suarez is in 17th just one point back of McDowell, as every point becomes crucial for those fighting for the final playoff spots.
Alex Bowman (20th) and Chase Elliott (23rd) remain in need of a win to clinch a playoff spot.
- Martin Truex Jr.*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- William Byron*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Kyle Busch*, Richard Childress Racing
- Denny Hamlin*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Kyle Larson*, Hendrick Motorsports
- Ross Chastain*, Trackhouse Racing
- Christopher Bell*, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Ryan Blaney*, Team Penske
- Joey Logano*, Team Penske
- Tyler Reddick*, 23XI Racing
- Ricky Stenhouse Jr.*, JTG Daugherty Racing
- Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing
- Brad Keselowski, RFK Racing
- Chris Buescher, RFK Racing
- Bubba Wallace, 23XI Racing
- Michael McDowell, Front Row Motorsports
*= 2023 race winner
Predictions
Six-time Pocono winner Denny Hamlin enters the weekend as the favorite, but I’m going in a different direction for Sunday. Kyle Larson is a consistent contender at Pocono and has finished in the top 12 in 12 of his 15 Cup Series appearances at the track.
His first Pocono win seemed like a certainty before a flat tire in Turn 3 on the final lap in 2021, but this year I think he gets that “Tricky Triangle” win he’s been chasing.
- Kyle Larson, Hendrick Motorsports
- Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing
- Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing
- Tyler Reddick, 23XI Racing
- William Byron, Hendrick Motorsports
How To Watch: NASCAR at Pocono (All times ET)
- Practice: Saturday, July 22 – 2:35 p.m. – NBC Sports streaming (USA coverage begins at 3:00 p.m.)
- Qualifying: Saturday, July 22 – 3:20 p.m. – USA
- HighPoint.com 400: Sunday, July 23 – 2:30 p.m. – USA
